The Blair Police Department reported on social media Thursday that Deerfield Elementary School was placed under a secure hold because of a possible threat reported.
According to the police department’s Facebook, it said extra security was sent to the school for an investigation.
The post read: “At the end of the investigation it was determined that there was no credible threat to Deerfield or any other Blair schools and at no time were any Blair students in danger.”
Families of Blair students received an email from Blair Superintendent Randall Gilson when the hold started.
Gilson said in the email: “Parents and Guardians we wanted to make you aware that Deerfield Elementary has been placed into a Secure Lockdown. All students and staff are safe at this time. A potential threat to the building was reported by a student, and is being immediately and thoroughly investigated by administration and the Blair Police Department.”
The Washington County Pilot-Tribune contacted the Blair Police Department, and we were referred to Gilson.
In that release, Gilson said: “This morning a student reported to a staff member that they had overheard information regarding a potential threat to the building. The Deerfield staff immediately followed our safety protocol. As a precautionary measure, Dr. Bills, the building principal, placed the school in Secure to ensure the safety of all students and staff.”
In the release, Gilson specifies that the “Deerfield was not placed into Lockdown.”
He wrote: “I want to take this time to explain what it means when we use ‘Secure’ under the Standard Response Protocol (SRP). During a Secure action, all exterior doors of the school are locked, and no one is allowed to enter or leave the building. Activities continue inside the school as usual, but additional safety measures are in place to protect those within the building.”
